“A collection of profound and epic album reviews and musical articles by former astronaut and brain surgeon, Alasdair Kennedy. Reaching levels of poetry that rival Keats and Blake, the following reviews affirm Alasdair to be a prodigy, a genius and a god whose opinion is always objectively right. He is also without a doubt the most modest man in the universe.” - Alasdair Kennedy

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Friday, 8 March 2019

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 08/03/2019: Deafheaven, Fury, JPEGMAFIA and more...

Music to distract you from news of Michael Jackson, Momo and moronic politics.

THE BEST:

‘Black Brick’ –
Deafheaven

Tired of haters claiming that they’re not a ‘real metal
band’, Deafheaven have decided to show everyone just how metal they can go. The
result is ‘Black Brick’ – it’s 100% pure old-skool TRVE KVLT undiluted full-fat
black metal. Okay, maybe there’s some thrash metal in there too, but regardless
it’s still undeniably metal. I much prefer this evil sounding material to their
happy indie-metal stuff – I want a whole album like this.

‘Angels over Berlin’ –
Fury

If Deafheaven haven’t satisfied your need for loud guitar
music, this new riff-laden single ‘Angels over Berlin’ by California rock act
Fury ought to do the trick. The production is so noisy that my speakers exploded
and wiped out half the street. Okay, that didn’t actually happen, but if I
revved up the volume to 11 it probably would have that result. A new album
titled Failed Entertainment is set for
release in May.

‘Puff Daddy’ –
JPEGMAFIA ft. Kenny Beats

Moving on from noisy rock to noisy hip hop, this new single sees
eccentric Baltimore rapper JPEGMAFIA joining forces with producer Kenny Beats, resulting in this abrasive banger. I haven’t got round to dissecting Peggy’s bars – every time
I’ve tried to focus on the lyrics the beat has distracted me. Is that
a distorted 808 kick or a laser gun? Whatever it is, it made my speakers explode
and half the street was wiped out. I’m not joking this time.

‘Tiger Blood’ – Flowstate

Minneapolis hip hop act Flowstate are sporting a fresh new
sound that they refer to as ‘drop hop’. It’s made up of slick rap verses that
build up to satisfying beat drops. I could see both hip hop heads and EDM heads
digging this. To quote the group, ‘not
bad for a couple millennials from the north’.

‘Up With The Sun’ –
Lone Wild

Now that your ears are ringing with the sound of guitar
distortion and 808s, here’s something a little more mellow. Waves of reverb-soaked
guitars and shimmering synths serve as the backdrop to lead singer Ashkan
Karimi’s soaring vocals in this euphoric anthem. The track was inspired by a
dream and it certainly has a dream-like quality – despite being ridiculously
cheery, the hazy production and lyrical imagery gives it a bittersweet tone as
if it’s all unreal.

THE WORST:

‘I’m Single’ - Jake
Paul

It’s definitely an improvement on ‘It’s Everyday Bro’, and yet
heartbreak has never sounded so emotionless.